'Violet': budding, musical flower

As a nation, we worship beauty and perfection, the prom queen, the super model, the movie star. The mirror image abhors imperfections and denies flaws. So when a 13-year-old girl Violet is permanently scarred in a farming accident, her vision of the

BONNIE GOLDBERG

Published 12:00 am, Thursday, October 10, 2002

Until Sunday, the Connecticut Repertory Theatre at the University of Connecticut will be revealing "Violet" by Jeanine Tesori (music) and Brian Crawley (book and lyrics), based on Doris Betts' "The Ugliest Pilgrim."

Jill Michael's Violet believes in her heart of hearts that if she can journey to Tulsa from her North Carolina home, a healing evangelist will cure her. Once she looks like a cross between Cyd Charisse and Bridget Bardot, everything in her world will be magically restored.

On her pilgrimage, Violet meets two soldiers Flick (J.D. Webster) and Monty (Jonathan Wiener), who influence her view of herself. Ultimately, her inner beauty glows with the truths she uncovers. Flashbacks to her childhood with the younger Violet (Caitlin Chuckta) and her father (Brian Sutherland) reveal the scars that reach deep into her soul.

The music, which ranges from gospel to blues, country to rock, adds to the poignant message, clearly delivered by Tyler Marchant's direction, that we are all flawed creatures in the eyes of the Lord.

For tickets ($10 to $19) call CT Rep, Jorgensen Auditorium, University of Connecticut, Storrs, at (860) 486-4226. Performances are tonight at 7:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Follow Violet on her journey of self-discovery during the turbulent 1960s as she searches for her miracle and finds the greatest miracle of all: love.

If you ask the Brewster sisters of Brooklyn to share their biscuit recipe or secrets to their delicious quince jam, they'll be delighted and pleased as punch to do so. Stop, however, before you request their unique formulation for elderberry wine, which has quite a kick to it, thanks to a drop of strychnine here and a pinch of arsenic there. These kindly spinster ladies are happy to offer you a libation to die for.

Until Oct. 27, the Playhouse on the Green in Bridgeport, formerly the Polka Dot Playhouse, will be serving daily doses of Joseph Kesseiring's "Arsenic and Old Lace." Who would suspect two kindly souls (Joan Copeland and Mia Dillon) who brew beef broth for invalids of having a hobby of merciful murders? When elderly gentlemen come to their door seeking a room to rent, they are greeted with genteel charm and a welcoming glass of specially aged wine.

This extracurricular activity works especially well, since the Brewsters' nephew Teddy (Frank Calamaro) thinks he's President Roosevelt, and spends his days digging locks for the Panama Canal in the basement, which are perfect burial plots for their dozen permanent guests. When a second nephew, Mortimer (Robert Watts), gets suspicious, and a third nephew, Jonathan (Joseph Culliton), returns after a long absence, the bodies in the window seat and the basement start doubling up. Mortimer's sudden engagement to a neighbor, Elaine (Wendy Allyn), and Jonathan's creepy accomplice, Dr. Einstein (George Bass), add to the chaos and comedy in this Halloween tale directed by Christian Saint-Girard,

For tickets ($25 to $35), call Playhouse on the Green, 177 State St., Bridgeport, at (203) 333-3666. Free parking is on John Street. Performances are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., with matinees Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. Subscriptions to all five plays start at $100.

For a bully good time, help Teddy Roosevelt storm up San Juan Hill, but don't stop to smell any elderberries on the way.